In the commercial baking industry, bakery products are baked in pans of various types and sizes, depending upon the product being baked. The pans pass through the baking system beginning with initial placement into the system, followed by movement to the molder, where the dough is shaped and placed into the pan. From the molder the pans pass to the proofer, where the dough is allowed to rise, and then into the oven for baking. From the oven the pans travel to the depanner where the baked goods are removed from the pans. Thereafter the Pans are recirculated through or taken out of the system.
Historically, when the pans are removed from the baking system they are placed into nested stacks through the use of a stacking apparatus such as the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,143. Pan Pallets and/or conveyors receive the stacked pans from the pan stacker and then move the stacked pans to a storage area. When the Pans are to be placed back into the system, the stacked pans are moved from the storage area to a pan unstacking device which may be of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,143. The pan unstacker places the pans back into the baking system for movement to the molder.
Use of such stacking and unstacking systems has proven to be a slow process, increasing changeover time for removing Pans from and returning them to the baking system. Such procedure requires one or more employees for operation of the stackers and unstackers, and movement and positioning of the pan stacks. Furthermore, the repeated physical contact between the pans can result in frequent bending, damage to surface treatments, and reduced life of the pans. At present, no system exists which is capable of bypassing the stacking step and maintaining stored pans within the baking system.
Certain types of bakery products require the use of pan lids in conjunction with the bakery pans during part or all of the baking process. Again, various types and sizes of lids are employed depending upon the size and type of pan to be used in a particular baking operation. At present no system exists for handling bakery pan lids within the baking system so as to increase efficiency and eliminate the deleterious effects resulting from repeated physical contact between the lids.